2005-2007 Jeep Liberty Parking Brake Problems and Adjustment

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The 2005-2007 Jeep Liberty (KJ) has rear disc brakes, and its parking brake is a separate set of small drum shoes hidden inside the hat of each rear rotor. When the lever pulls up too far, the Jeep rolls on a hill, or the parking brake will not release, the cause is almost always worn or rusted shoes inside that hat, an adjuster that has stopped turning, or a stretched or seized cable. Most of it is fixable at home with basic tools and a brake spoon.

How the Liberty Parking Brake Works

The 2005-2007 Liberty uses power four-wheel disc brakes with four-wheel ABS, so there is no rear drum doing double duty as a parking brake. Instead, the rear rotor is a drum-in-hat design: the outer face is the disc the caliper clamps, and the inside of the center hat is a small brake drum. A pair of parking brake shoes sits on the backing plate inside that hat.

When you pull the lever, a cable runs back to an equalizer under the vehicle, which splits the pull evenly between the left and right rear cables. Each rear cable works a lever and cam at the backing plate that spreads the shoes against the inside of the hat. A star-wheel adjuster sits between the shoe ends. That adjuster sets how close the shoes rest to the drum surface, and it is the single most important part of the system.

Because these shoes only touch the drum when the lever is pulled, they wear very slowly. The trouble is the opposite of wear: they sit unused in a damp, salty corner of the Jeep for years, so rust and corrosion cause more failures than friction does.

Common Parking Brake Problems on the 2005-2007 Liberty

A useful rule: if the lever travel is normal but the Jeep still will not hold, look at the wheels (shoes, drum surface, cam) and the equalizer. If the lever travel is excessive, it is usually adjustment or cable stretch. Trade publication Brake and Front End notes that a worn equalizer pivot typically shows up as normal lever travel with a parking brake that will not hold on a hill.

How to Adjust the Parking Brake Shoes

Always adjust the shoes first and the cable second. Tightening the cable to make up for shoes that sit too far from the drum only uses up the cable's adjustment range and leaves the brake weak.

1. Chock the front wheels, release the parking brake, and raise and support the rear of the Jeep on jack stands.
2. Remove the rear wheels. On the KJ a rubber adjuster plug in the backing plate is removed to reach the star wheel.
3. Rotate the rotor by hand and turn the star wheel with a brake adjusting spoon or a thin flat screwdriver until the shoes begin to drag on the inside of the hat.
4. Back the star wheel off until the rotor turns freely with no contact. Brake and Front End points out that some manufacturers specify an exact number of teeth or a drum-diameter gauge for this step; follow the factory service manual figure if you have it rather than guessing.
5. Reinstall the adjuster plug so water and road salt stay out, then repeat on the other side.
6. Only after both shoes are set, check the cable. If the lever still has excessive travel, take up slack at the cable adjuster near the equalizer until the brake applies firmly within a normal lever travel and both rear wheels still spin freely with the lever released.

If the star wheel will not turn, do not force it. A seized adjuster is a sign the shoes and hardware need to come apart, which means removing the caliper and rotor.

Replacing Shoes, Hardware and Cables

On the KJ, getting to the parking brake shoes means pulling the rear brake caliper and its bracket (hang the caliper from a wire, never by the hose), then sliding the rotor off. With the rotor off you can see the whole parking brake: two shoes, hold-down pins and springs, return springs, the star-wheel adjuster and the cam lever.

Jeep parts maker Crown Automotive lists separate service parts for the KJ rear disc system: a parking brake shoe and lining kit, a parking brake hardware kit that includes springs, pins and adjusters, the rubber adjuster plug, and a solid rear rotor of 11.22 in (285 mm) diameter, all for 2003-2007 models. That tells you how the job is meant to be done: shoes and hardware are replaced as a set.

What to replace together:

• Shoes and the full hardware kit. Old springs lose tension and adjusters rust solid. New shoes on old hardware often come back with the same problem.
• Rear rotors when the hat is rusted or scored. The drum surface inside the hat is part of the rotor. If it is heavily rusted, grooved or out of round, new shoes will not seat well. Browse rear brake rotors and match them with rear brake pads while the caliper is already off.
• Cables that are seized or frayed. Brake and Front End warns that oils and solvents sprayed into a cable can pull grime deeper into the sheath and shorten its life; a cable that sticks should be replaced, not soaked. If all the adjustment is used up, the cable has stretched and should be replaced as well.

Our brake shoes and brake hardware kits collections are the place to start; confirm the listing fits a rear-disc 2005-2007 Liberty before ordering.

After new shoes go in, set the adjustment as described above, then bed the shoes in: on a safe, empty road at low speed, apply the parking brake lightly a few times so the new linings conform to the drum. Do not drive any distance with the lever partly applied.

Recalls Worth Checking

NHTSA's recall database lists two campaigns for these years that are relevant to parking and rear braking:

• 05V460000 (2005 and 2006 Liberty): on vehicles with the 42RLE automatic transmission, the cup plug that retains the park pawl anchor shaft may be improperly installed, and the transmission may not be able to achieve Park. That is exactly the situation where a working parking brake matters most, so use it every time you park.
• 06V493000 (2007 Liberty): the ABS control module software may cause the rear brakes to lock up during certain braking conditions.

Run your VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup or a Jeep dealer to confirm whether the work was completed on your vehicle.

How Hard Is the Job?

Adjusting the shoes through the backing plate is a beginner-friendly job once the wheel is off. Replacing the shoes and hardware is a moderate DIY job: the springs are small and fiddly, so take a photo of one side before you disassemble it and use the other side as a reference. Cable replacement is the hardest part, mostly because of rusted fasteners and brackets under the Jeep. Torque the caliper bracket and caliper bolts to the values in the factory service manual, and pump the brake pedal several times before driving so the rear caliper pistons seat against the pads.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 2005-2007 Jeep Liberty have rear drum brakes?

No. These years use four-wheel disc brakes. The only drum on the rear axle is the small parking brake drum built into the hat of each rear rotor.

Why does my Liberty parking brake lever pull up so high?

The shoes inside the rotor hat have moved too far from the drum surface, or the cable has stretched. Adjust the shoes at the star wheel first, then take up any remaining cable slack.

Can I adjust the parking brake without removing the rotor?

Usually yes. Remove the wheel and the rubber adjuster plug and turn the star wheel with a brake spoon. If the adjuster is seized, the rotor has to come off.

Do I need new parking brake shoes when I replace the rear rotors?

Not always. Inspect them while the rotor is off. Replace them if the lining is thin, cracked, contaminated with oil or grease, or separating from the shoe, and replace the hardware kit at the same time.

My parking brake will not release. Is it safe to drive?

No. A stuck parking brake drags the rear shoes, overheats the rotor and can damage the shoes and hat. Find out whether the cable, equalizer or shoes are stuck before driving further.

Should I spray lubricant into a sticky parking brake cable?

It is not a lasting fix. Lubricants and solvents tend to pull grime deeper into the housing. A cable that binds is due for replacement.

Sources

1. CarSpecs.us - 2006 Jeep Liberty specifications - front and rear disc brakes, four-wheel ABS, brake assist
2. Crown Automotive - Liberty KJ rear disc brake parts - parking brake shoe kit, hardware kit with springs, pins and adjusters, adjuster plug, 11.22 in (285 mm) solid rear rotor, 2003-2007 fitment
3. Brake and Front End - Adjusting Parking Brakes - drum-in-hat operation, star-wheel adjustment, cable and equalizer behavior
4. NHTSA recall data - 2005 Jeep Liberty - campaign 05V460000, park pawl anchor shaft cup plug
5. NHTSA recall data - 2007 Jeep Liberty - campaign 06V493000, ABS software rear brake lock-up